Sake and Moonlight
by Drakochannojutsu
Summary: MasaYuki oneshot for thisiscyrene's birthday over @ Tumblr. Yukimura is in Oshuu on business, but Date's not particularly interested in that.


No matter how many times they met, on or off the battlefield, Date Masamune could never quite come to terms with the fact that Sanada Yukimura was the same age as he. How could he be, when he was so naïve? It was that strange mix of ferocity and naivety that gave him so much ability in battle; it was the only explanation. How he'd made it this long still baffled him.

Their fierce rivalry had no place in this room, under the watchful eye of his own retainer. It was infuriating, this sensation to draw his swords, pit his skills against Yukimura's, and to be unable to do anything about it. His fingers closed into a fist in his coat. Sanada wasn't even a lord of his own domain, and yet this mere general ignited this much passion in the One Eyed Dragon…

"Masamune-sama," Kojuurou repeated for the third time, though Date only noticed it then, glancing away from his clenched fist.

"Eh?" Kojuurou made no comment on his behavior beyond a slight raising of the arches. Date gave a subtle shake of his head, and glanced back towards Yukimura. "I think I've had enough of politics for the day. We'll have time to settle this tomorrow. For now, why don't we show Sanada how Oshuu treats a guest," he said, practically leering at the general. He felt the shift of mood in the room, heard the subtle shift of Kojuurou's position as he prepared to stop Date, felt the sudden tension that practically sang through every one of Sanada's muscles at a moment's notice. "Kojuurou?"

The retainer didn't flinch, nor did he relax. "Yes."

"Sake for two." Date finally turned towards the retainer, if only so he could watch the nervous tension slip from his form. Yukimura still practically hummed with his own fiery aura as Kojuurou bowed and excused himself from the room.

It left the two of them alone, and he felt Sanada's eyes boring into him. Masamune lazily turned his gaze back to Yukimura, grinning. "Can't have a cool party without sake. Why don't you relax, ehh? I won't bite, you see?" His grin widened at the sudden unbalance in Yukimura's face. He was lost, not quite sure where he stood now that he was in his rival's home, and being offered sake. The silence stretched on, but before Yukimura could come up with a proper retort, the door was sliding open again, and Kojuurou reappeared with sake.

"I-I gratefully accept your hospitality," Yukimura hurriedly said, bowing towards Date. Of course, he was too polite to say no. Masamune's grin turned almost predatory.

"Is there anything else you need, Masamune-sama?" Kojuurou said quietly, staring intently at his lord. A warning in his eyes. Date almost scoffed. For one who'd known him since he was small, for one who had gouged out his lord's eye when he'd ordered it, he had so little faith in his strength of will…

"That will be all, Kojuurou. You're free to go."

"Yes." Kojuurou bowed deeply, shot him one last warning glance, and was gone. Date knew he wouldn't be far, but he at last had this tiger cub within the reach of his claws… As he sipped the sake, his grin curled wider.

He wasn't sure what to think of it exactly. There was a war inside his head. Half of him wanted to fight Yukimura until neither of them could stand. The other half desperately wanted to launch himself across the room, and force that naïve attitude out of the other, whatever it would take. He downed another cup of sake to try to distract himself from the thoughts.

Their conversation was inane, nothing Date was really interested in, but he liked the way Yukimura lit up when he started to talk about something he liked. It was that fire, that passion. Date chided himself in his own thoughts.

_Che, you're not a dragon, you're a moth. A moth drawn irrevocably to his fire._ He could become dangerously tied up in his rival… His friend. Despite all their strife, there had been those moments, when they'd had a bond beyond two men with a common goal. The tattered headband that had bound his sword to his hand when they'd fought Oda was still tucked away among his belongings. Not sentiment, exactly, but a reminder of what their relationship was. Not enemies, but in a neverending battle. Not friends, but closer than allies.

His thoughts drifted as he listened to the pleasant tone of the other's voice, the lovely roll of his tongue over his keigo. Those thoughts were beginning to have the proverbial mind of their own as they finished the first bottle, and he called for another. Yukimura looked a little worried at his call for a second bottle, but that expression faded when he caught Date staring at him.

So much pride…

By the time they had finished their second round, Yukimura was slurring his words slightly, the formality slipping now and then, in odd ways that were more endearing than humorous, though they gave his sentences an unruly awkward feel to them.

"How about we take a walk," Date suggested, waving vaguely towards the door that would lead out to the courtyard, and Yukimura blinked his big brown eyes at Oshuu's leader for a moment before he could comprehend what Date had just asked. Masamune grinned. He'd always had relatively high alcohol tolerance, as did Kojuurou, so it was a bit of a novelty having such a lightweight around. Especially when Date had drunk most of the sake himself, with Yukimura barely having half of what he'd already drank.

"Yes, that… A mostly excellent idea," Yukimura slurred slightly, and stumbled to his feet, wobbling there for a moment as the alcohol hit him. It had its way of doing that, Date knew well enough. "The cool air night will be good for us." His grin only widened as he stood gracefully, and slid the door open that revealed the courtyard, bathed in the light of a nearly-full moon.

Sanada Yukimura was a lightweight the like of which he'd never seen before. Masamune's steps were sure as he made his way out onto the narrow walkway, where a pair of his geta were waiting. Yukimura nearly tumbled onto the gravel path below, were it not for Date's quick grab of his sleeve. The brunette slapped his hand away, muttering something slurred into incoherence under his breath, but no doubt insulting from the tone of his voice.

"Ehh?"

"I'm fine," Yukimura said, pouting at Date's face. It was probably supposed to be a scowl.

"This way," Date said, hopping down onto the gravel pathway that led towards a small koi pond. Sanada hurried after him, getting his bearings as they walked, from the way his footsteps evened out.

It wasn't quite the right season for cicadas yet, so the night was quiet, and chilly, the bamboo rustling slightly in a gentle breeze. When Yukimura's footsteps ceased, Masamune turned, to find him looking around with almost childlike wonderment.

"Oshuu really is beautiful, Masamune-dono!" Date could only grin at his enthusiasm, shrugging nonchalantly as he turned away again to continue walking.

The small garden around the koi pond gave it a calming air, the sound of the deer scare a quiet punctuation to the night. The moon reflected off the water's surface, and Date crouched down to trail a finger in the water. Yukimura knelt down next to him, peering into the water with a faint smile on his own lips.

"Masamune-dono, I'm thankful to be able to see this side of you as well as the side I see on the battlefield." He'd turned to face Masamune, who blinked slowly back at him, then laughed, startling the fish that had come to investigate the possibility of breadcrumbs.

"You say that now, Sanada." Masamune wasn't even sure why he did what he did next, his body moving before his mind could really decide what was happening. Fingers reached out, grabbing the edge of Yukimura's yukata, twisting him around and pulling him just slightly forward as Date leaned in. He felt the tickle of breath across his lips for just a moment before closing the distance.

It lasted only a moment before the yukata was wrenched out of his grip and Yukimura stumbled backwards, bewildered expression on his face. "M-Masamune-dono!" When his exclamation got no response, he glanced away, and even in the night shadow, the flush on his face was apparent, too deep a flush to be simply from alcohol.

Date looked away as well, staring down into the water again, gaze fixed on the way the ripples upset the reflection of the night sky, so he didn't notice that Yukimura had righted himself until he was grabbing onto Masamune's wrist. When he looked up, the last thing he expected was for his apology to be interrupted by a kiss with as much ferocity as the first, though this time it was Sanada pressing awkwardly against him.

Since he was crouching, the sudden weight of the other pushed Date off balance, and they both toppled over, barely missing the edge of the pond, into a patch of carefully tended foliage. The kiss, so interrupted, was over, the moment lost.

"Kojuurou's gonna kill me," he muttered, grinning anyway up at his rival, who couldn't help but crack a smile of his own.


End file.
